Fight for Aylesbury spur connection to East West

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Friday, 5 February 2021 07:00

A petition has been launched, stressing the importance of an Aylesbury spur to link the town up to the new EAST-WEST rail network.

A new funding stream was announced last week, but there was no mention of the project connecting with Aylesbury.

That's despite the town being shown in the original plans.

Fears that Aylesbury will be missed off the final project have led to the creation of an online petition, calling on MP Rob Butler to put pressure on the Government to commit to the original scheme.

The petition states:

"The sustainable successful growth of Aylesbury into a Garden town will depend on the building of sustainable transport links.

Aylesbury rail links consist of a slow railway line to and from London and a single-track railway to and from Princes Risborough. If towns like Aylesbury are to both expand and to meet the Zero emissions target of 2050 it is vital the Government builds sustainable transport links and improves connectivity.

The Government’s £760M investment to East-West rail and the 1,500 jobs it will create forms part of the national commitment to ‘build back better’ from the Covid-19 pandemic, levelling up transport infrastructure across the country by investing in rail connections that will help boost economic growth, create jobs and opportunity. Excluding Aylesbury from the direct benefits of this project, by not building the Aylesbury Spur, risks the town missing out on the levelling up of transport infrastructure and hampering the economic growth that can be achieved.

By signing and submitting this letter we demonstrate that we support efforts by our Member of Parliament, Rob Butler MP, and others to ensure the Government commits to building the rail link between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes as part of the East-West Rail investment and that Aylesbury’s economy and environment benefit from a major rail investment in the area."

Bucks Council leader, Martin Tett has already expressed his support for the connecting line, saying "the whole team in Bucks is batting for the county". He's written a letter to Grant Schapps, Secretary of State for Transport, stressing the importance of the Aylesbury spur for the town.

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